simple, nourishing recipes for those that have a full plate... and need one

Saturday, October 8, 2011

late night cake

I have two fabulously creative friends who inspire me with their talents and seeming ability to juggle it all. They are both way more hip than I can ever hope to be, and I always wonder what they are discovering or dreaming up while I am pouring over recipes. One used to run the most wonderful children's art studio and now has a blog that makes me smile with her beautiful imagery. The other is a dedicated mom by day, and talented graphic designer after the kids go to sleep. She just launched a new little business.I love receiving their card each year, and am thrilled that the rest of us can now send out these special postcards too.

About

Welcome to The Full Plate blog, where you'll find simple, healthful recipes...so parents like you can nourish your families, even on the busiest of days. I am a recipe developer, culinary instructor and former personal chef. But first and foremost, I'm a mom. I love spending time in my kitchen… but I certainly don't want to spend all day in it! Here, I share my recipes for both make-ahead and simple-to-make recipes so you, too, can collect "bonus hours" to spend with your family, friends… or so you can just enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day. Poke around the blog, try a recipe that sounds good, or grab my ebook. Scroll down to search for a particular recipe, or to see some of the awards my blog has won. If would like to discuss working together, I may be reached at: mealsinasnap@gmail.com. I hope that you enjoy my recipes, and that you, too, start collecting those "bonus hours".

Pinch me! So flattered: Working Mother Magazine's 2015 Best of the Net

the full plate blog named to Forbes 2012 "Top 100 Sites for Women"... amazing! thank you!

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homemade dinner on the busiest of days? yes, please!

About Founder/Editor Eila DeBard Johnson

I am a happy, healthy mom of two young children who has a knack for being able to whip up family-friendly, healthy meals with whatever I find in our fridge, freezer and pantry. In the past 12 years of motherhood, I have come to appreciate that there is so much intertwined in "being healthy" and feeling good as a mother, wife and friend. As a super busy mom who jugglednutrition coursework, raising young children, keeping the house in order, volunteering in my community, writing this blog and the elusive goal of “me” time, I understand the need for recipes to be simple.

While I’d love to claim that I cook everything from scratch, with only local ingredients, I don’t. One of my children is a vegetarian, the other is a self-proclaimed "meatatarian", so mealtimes are a constant juggling act around here. But, I do a swell job of getting healthful meals made quickly…that everyone around here enjoys. And if you open my freezer, chances are you'll find a bevy of homemade meals at the ready.

My love of cooking comes from an entire childhood spent in Southern California, where phenomenal produce was available (and offered up) year round... memories of homemade meals and family dinners throughout my upbringing... my incredible exchange student experience living on a farm in Austria in high school... and years of fine-tuning my cooking skills through numerous classes at The Institute for Culinary Education (then called Peter Kump's), private cooking lessons at night after my day job at an investment bank, and a Professional Certificate in Techniques of Healthy Cooking from The Culinary Institute of America. I have a BA from Colgate University, an MBA from Northwestern and am certified as a Health Coach by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, where I focused on holistic well-being.

Before writing this blog, I ran a (wildly popular) Fairfield County, CT-based personal chef service; consulted on private label food products; and worked in new product development and brand management for a really big food company.